Fiorentina Vs Jagiellonia Białystok: Preview, Vanoli's Warning and Mazurek Hat-trick Drama
By Jonathan O'Shea | 24 Feb 2026 16: 37, Last updated: 24 Feb 2026 16: 45
The tie between Fiorentina and Jagiellonia Białystok has swung between control and chaos: Fiorentina head into the return at Stadio Franchi holding a 3-0 advantage from last week's trip to Poland, yet that cushion was dramatically undermined when Bartosz Mazurek grabbed a hat-trick as Fiorentina threw away a three-goal lead in the Conference League play-off. The fixture will conclude at Stadio Artemio Franchi and kicks off at 17. 45 GMT (18. 45 CET), with both the preview and the late-match events shaping how the clubs approach the second leg.
Fiorentina Vs Jagiellonia Białystok: tie state and immediate stakes
Fiorentina's 3-0 win in Poland last week left them strong favourites to progress, the three-goal lead noted as the largest of any team in this year's knockout-phase playoffs. That result came with a standout contribution from Rolando Mandragora, whose free kick into the top corner was highlighted as a key moment. Despite that advantage, the second leg took an unexpected turn when Bartosz Mazurek produced a hat-trick that saw Fiorentina throw away their three-goal advantage, turning a seemingly secure situation into urgent damage control.
Match context and scheduling
The tie will be decided at Stadio Franchi, with kickoff listed for Stadio Artemio Franchi at 17. 45 GMT (18. 45 CET). Fiorentina sit on the brink of the last 16, where they could meet either Strasbourg or fellow Polish side Rakow Czestochowa, depending on the other playoff result.
Fiorentina form, selection and recent trajectory
Fiorentina have been runners-up in the Conference League twice in the past three years and are the only side to have scored more than 100 goals in UEFA's third-tier competition. Domestically, the club struggled through the league phase, finishing 15th and slipping into the playoffs. Since Paolo Vanoli arrived in November, he has overseen signs of improvement: the side were noted as four games unbeaten across all competitions and had beaten Tuscan rivals Pisa 1-0 on Monday evening when Moise Kean's strike lifted them out of the drop zone.
That victory was recorded as just a third win from 13 league games in Florence this term. Selection notes ahead of the return showed Dodo starting in a more advanced attacking role because he is suspended for the next Serie A match, which allows Jack Harrison to rest. Albert Gudmundsson was listed on the bench after an ankle injury.
Jagiellonia's position and comeback potential
Jagiellonia Bialystok arrived in the tie as Ekstraklasa leaders, having finally claimed their first league title in 2024. They were described as unbeaten in six continental away games prior to the second-leg collapse, with a run that included draws in each of the last three away fixtures. Including qualifiers, their only home defeat in a dozen European fixtures had been to Rayo Vallecano. Domestically, a 1-1 draw with Radomiak Radom left Jagiellonia two points clear at the top with one game in hand, but they had won none of their last three matches coming into the return. To avoid elimination in the play-off, the Polish side needed to overturn a three-goal deficit and win by at least three goals.
Vanoli's stance and the European comeback caution
Paolo Vanoli cautioned that nothing should be taken for granted despite the 3-0 lead, pointing to recent Champions League comebacks as evidence that large margins can be overturned. He stressed a balanced approach: focus on winning the match and avoiding conceding, while managing energy because Serie A priorities remain. Vanoli also highlighted a measurable change in defensive work, citing a rise in sprints by defenders as evidence of improved preventative marking and a broader shift in team spirit where defence and attack operate together.
He referenced examples that illustrated the unpredictability of knockout ties, noting one side overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit and another side, reduced to 10 men, forced extra time despite a heavy first-leg deficit. Those examples formed the backbone of his warning that complacency would be dangerous.
What now: progression, precedent and the aftermath
Historically, Fiorentina had progressed from all six Conference League knockout ties in which they won the first leg, and Polish clubs had managed just two wins in 32 European away games against Serie A opponents, losing 25 times; Fiorentina's own losses among those rare Polish away wins were recorded against Lech Poznan in 2015 and 2023. The second-leg events — notably Bartosz Mazurek's hat-trick that erased a three-goal cushion — complicate the usual precedent and leave both teams with immediate questions about temperament, fitness and priorities as the tie concludes at Stadio Franchi.
